Nordic Games, in an announcement about modding tools for Painkiller Hell & Damnation, revealed that the modern remake of the 2004 first person shooter will be coming to Linux and Mac this spring. Developed by The Farm 51 and powered by the Unreal 3 engine Painkiller H&D remains "true to the old-school FPS ideology, lightning-fast movement enables skilful players to get into the heart of the fast-paced gameplay, topped off with stunning enormo-boss fights requiring sneaky tactics."

The Linux and Mac gaming community will also be in for a hellish treat this spring when Painkiller Hell & Damnation launches on these platforms. Players using the Linux and Mac platforms will finally be able to join the Painkiller PC gaming community and fully immerse themselves in Daniel Garner’s purgatory.

“As well as launching the Mod-Kit, we are working to provide regular updates and further improvements to the existing content and framework.” said Reinhard Pollice, Business & Product Development Director at Nordic Games. “We’re also working to port good old Daniel Garner to Linux and Mac this April/May.”

Painkiller Hell & Damnation:

Evil has returned! Demonic powers are manifesting themselves as a myriad of dark creatures, fighting over the fates of imprisoned souls caught in Purgatory.

Once again, it is up to Daniel Garner, in the unenviable position of being the Curse of Darkness and the Toy of Light, to fight his way past hordes of demons and fiends.

Questions remain… “Can he stop the powerful creatures that stand in his way? Will he ever leave the hell of Purgatory and be reunited with his wife Catherine?”

Painkiller Hell & Damnation is a fast-paced, thrilling modern remake of an all-action shooter Classic!

In a discussion with Polygon, Trilobyte co-founder Charlie McHenry revealed that The 7th Guest 3 is in development for a variety of platforms including Mac. McHenry said the development team, which includes some of those who worked on the original titles, plan to release the game in 12 to 18 months.

The game will feature the creepy atmosphere and clever puzzles of its predecessors, The 7th Guest and The 11th Hour, all of which will be rendered in real-time 3D. The Stauf mansion which served as the staging grounds for the franchise thus far makes its return in The 7th Guest: 3, now set up as "something of a historical museum" honoring the series' antagonist.

"In the world of The 7th Guest: 3, you will re-enter the mysterious and magical mansion, newly restored with games, puzzles and artifacts," McHenry told Polygon. "But it is still haunted, as players will soon discover. You will learn more about what happened on that terrible night, and discover the real story and previously hidden secrets of the gaming world's most mysterious toymaker."

Games Workshop and Cyanide have partnered once again on a new project based on the fantasy football title, Blood Bowl. Blood Bowl: Star Coach is a free to play "tactical multiplayer team building game" in which dwarfs, elves, humans, and others return to the field to engage in brutal combat. The game is planned for release in the second quarter of 2013 on Mac and Windows PCs as well as tablets.

After working with Games Workshop on adaptations of Blood Bowl and Dungeonbowl, Cyanide has sought to create a new type of experience with this newest member of the Blood Bowl video game family: “There are many ways to play Blood Bowl and lots of extensions already developed. Blood Bowl: Star Coach will interest both fans of football management as well as pure Blood Bowl enthusiasts. Players will encounter all the typical emotions and depth of play of a management game as well as the fun and originality specific to the Blood Bowl universe” says Patrick Pligersdorffer, CEO of Cyanide.

‘Blood Bowl continues to be one of our most loved games, with a fanatically loyal global fan base, and Cyanide continues to be a great developer who have proven credentials with the brand’. Said Jon Gillard Head of Licensing for Games Workshop. ‘We couldn’t be happier to be working with them on this latest innovative iteration of the game, and we’re particularly looking forward to it being the first Blood Bowl game on tablets.’

Based on Games Workshop's fantasy football game world, "Blood Bowl: Star Coach" is a tactical multiplayer team-building game. Dwarfs, elves, humans, and other foul creatures are back and, once more, they are determined to grind each other into the turf! Star Coach tasks the player with creating his own Blood Bowl team (choosing from different races and players) and the development of his own offensive and defensive playbook. The player will then challenge other coaches, no matter which digital platform they play on, and choose the strategy that best fits his opponent. The basics of this violent sport are simple: two teams, one ball. The team that carries the ball into the opponent's end zone scores a touchdown, and the team with the most touchdowns at the end of the game is the winner. But, as with the original Blood Bowl, no holds barred violence and dirty tricks are allowed! Matches are resolved by an online server and a ranking system designates the best coaches. Coaches can develop their teams in a variety of different ways and have the opportunity to improve their teams by hiring Star Players or recruiting new staff. A ‘Cabalvision’ replay mode allows players to live out the blow-by-blow contest in full 3D!.

Ten Ton Hammer has posted a new review of Paradox Interactive's The Showdown Effect. The 2.5D multiplayer action game is inspired by 80’s and 90’s action movies "where champions from different eras of time fight to the death, for fun, for glory and for awesome." In the game players will battle for the upper hand using a variety of different weapons.

In addition to elevator movement, players can slip through grates by jumping downward, double tap the A or D keys to quickly tumble toward or away from an opponent, jump and hold the A or D keys to slowly slide down a wall while aiming. Shift throws the weapon in your hand, right mouse blocks, and Crtl triggers your special ability. But, most importantly, hit B to bandage at any time. Forget to bandage and the best you'll do is trade kills with your enemies.

It's a lot to take in, especially when you just want to go in guns blazing, But controls mastery is a must, as are the fast firing neurons and reflexes to use them if you're going to compete. Unfortunately, the cartoon strip tutorial is marginally better than simply studying the key bindings, but you'll do most of your learning in the heat of PvP battle.

So, that's the tactical side. On the mayhem mashup side, you'll wield everything from claymores to crossbows to bolt-action rifles, SMGs, shotguns, short-delay RPGs, and more. Or go weaponless to work your fists of fury, since kung fu is the fastest weapon of all. In addition to weapons, each of the game's 8 unique characters comes with a baked in plot, an assortment of adapted one-liners to trot out constantly, and a unique special ability. For example, Dutch McClone is a kindergarten teacher trying to regain his identity and has a suspiciously outrageous Austrian accent. Just when we thought we had him nailed as Arnold, McClone's special ability is a short duration shield, which hints at a certain unbreakable character that dies with great difficulty, if you catch my drift.

Macworld UK has posted a new review of Feral Interactive's LEGO The Lord of the Rings. Developed by TT Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for consoles, handhelds and PC, LEGO The Lord of the Rings brings the unique brick-based humor of the LEGO games to the legendary world of Middle-earth.

The Lego games have always allowed you to switch control from one character to another, and this approach works well with the ‘fellowship of the Ring’ as you can switch between the different characters in order to use particular weapons or skills – perhaps switching to a nimble Elf in order to jump up to an item that the little Hobbits can’t reach. The game also allows two people to play together, with each controlling a different character.

The combat is simple but fun – all you can really do is hit enemies and do a bit of jumping and dodging, but a more complex combat system might have been off-putting for the game’s young audience. And, for variety, the battles are also mixed in with levels where you have to explore and find your way past various obstacles, such as the impressively rendered lava pits of Mount Doom.